Blood in the Cherry Blossom
by Shenoki
Summary: The light from the yellow streetlamp made her skin look white, the blood on her lips look black, her victim laying motionless on the floor look grey...
1. Prologue

**Blood in the Cherry Blossom  
Prologue**

No alarm clock would wake the inhabitant of the third apartment on the second floor; such things would be a waste to those who do not sleep.**  
**Her daily routine was, well, routine to her. She would clean and dress at seven, and walk to school. After school, she would return home and do her homework.

At dark, she would stalk outside and catch her latest feast of the blood of man, a delicious delight to one such as her. She liked it when they struggled, her prey. She liked their strangled moans, their screams, their begs. She really liked it when their skin paled from lack of blood that now tantalised her tastebuds.

Some of their blood would be sweet, the nice, healthy ones. Their blood would satisfy her for a couple of days, and she would drink all they had to offer.  
Some blood was sour, making her sick to her strong stomach. This blood was usually of the undesirable; the fat, greedy old men who would smoke and eat themselves silly.

But still, she would drink all she could. Blood was such a sexy, sinister thing for her.

One day, she would find the man who's blood would satisfy her forever. She would cherish the blood than ran through his veins, feast on it for a treat.

She would give herself to this man, allow him to be her first, while drinking on his nectar in return.

At least, that was what she had hoped.

Who would want to be with a vampire? A blood-thirsty beast?

She had to work fast, she only had eternity to find him.


	2. What One Will Do To Survive

**Blood in the Cherry Blossom  
Chapter One: What One Will Do To Survive**

"Are you sure you're okay, Sakura? You're always looking so pale these days..."  
Good old Kakashi was always the one to worry about Sakura. He was worried about her pale complexion, the dark rings around her emerald eyes and the lack of life within them.  
Every day, as if religion, he would ask Sakura this question. Every day, as if tradition, Sakura would reply, with a sweet smile and a flutter of her long eyelashes,  
"I'm fine, Kakashi, I just stayed up a bit too late last night, so much homework!"  
Lie. Such a lie. But such a good actress.

She did not blame him for his worry. She looked dead on her feet nowadays, but she would shrug it off; she was dead on her feet. One thing she did not like? Lying. Lying to him of all people. On occasion, she would wonder if his blood was as sweet as he.

A lot of people were worried about Sakura these days. She never did her schoolwork, and seemed distant, too distant, comapred to the bubbly girl she once was.  
But that was only teachers, and that was where the worry ended.  
Her peers could not give a damn.

To them, she was a freak, a pale freak such abnormal features within this Japanese society. Among the crowd of dark eyed, dark haired people was the pink haired, green eyed Haruno. The cold girl who everyone preferred to ignore. All but one, who she could never seem to shake off.

Hinata Hyuuga was the most unlikely person to make an effort to befriend her, but she had still been the one to sit with her every day at lunch, to invite her to social gatherings, to even just acknowledge her. The person to look past the flesh, into the heart.  
The cold, unbeating heart that lay in the depths of her body.

Speak of the Devil, here the Hyuuga girl was now, sitting opposite her in the cafeteria, eating from her elegant pink lunchbox, the elegant jam sandwiches which her dad would make every morning in their elegant household. The elegant little sandwiches that Hinata would always share. The sandwiches that Sakura would eat in politeness, but scowl internally; nothing could beat her own meals.

Hinata was currently talking about her older cousin, Neji, and Sakura found herself zoning in and out, occasionally contributing to the conversation, until something the timid Hyuuga said caught her attention,  
"I can understand why he's annoyed, I mean, it must be a little hard to hang with someone you don't really know..."  
That was Hinata to a tee, always showing others sympathy, the sympathy that overflowed from her warm heart, and the kindness that seeped from every pore in her fragile frame.  
"Huh?" replied Sakura. Who was Neji showing around?  
"Uh, oh... I take it you zoned out again," said Hinata with a timid smile. "I was just saying that Neji's been picked to show around a new student today, make him feel welcome."  
Sakura nodded. She knew who Neji was, she had occasionally had the honour, or dishonour, to speak to the stoic boy. The boy with hair that every girl envied that flowed to his waist, and the intimidating look that spent every boy running. Not exactly the best choice to show around a new student of whom you need to make a good impression on, on the school's behalf.

Sakura finished her sandwich, licking her fingers for good measure, and grinned at the thought of a poor boy running from the wrath of Neji Hyuuga. Hinata gave her a curious look.  
"I don't envy the kid who has to follow around Neji all day," she explained, a smirk across her pink lips. Hinata promptly blushed and tapped Sakura playfully on the wrist, muttering something about "good manners" and "not thinking badly of Neji!", but both girls were soon laughing to themselves.  
For a human, Hinata was nice.

Sakura thought the same thing about Kakashi until he had sent her to the nurse, his worry overcoming him. He explained to her that she needed a normal check-up. This meant taking a temperature, inevitably below average, her weight, again, below average due to to lack of needed calories, and a pulse reading. A little difficult, considering she had no pulse.

Sakura knew that he was keeping an eye on her within school, but never knew he would go to this length, she was fine! As fine as the living-dead could be, but still fine!  
Like hell was she going to the nurse. So she did not. She sat in the halls, staring at the ceiling and waiting for the bell. No one would bother to come looking for her, she was barely noticed in class, and that was the way she liked it.  
During class switch-over, where all the students moved to attend their last lesson, she simply sat and watched as the wave of students flowed out in front of her, some stepping over her, others simply knocking into her. Row upon row of students, all of them looking at her. None of them seeing her.

"I hope you're not skipping class, Haruno," gave the stern voice of none other than Neji Hyuuga. She rolled her eyes.  
"And why is that any concern of yours?" she asked him, not looking at him.  
"Because Uncle will not approve of you socialising with Hinata if he hears of this."  
She shrugged.  
"Go to class."  
She shook her head.  
"Haruno!"  
Again, she shook her head.  
He sighed. So did she.  
"I'm not skipping out on class," she mumbled, rolling her eyes again.  
He shook his head. Of course she was! Why would she be sitting in the hall when she had to be in class?  
He had never approved of this girl, and he never would. Whenever he had the displeasure of seeing her, all she did was sit and stare at nothing, like a doll. She was pale, too pale, and her hair? Too abnormal. Something about her just made him want to shiver. Something about her... What was it? He sighed again. Here he was, trying his best to make a good impression on the new student, who Sakura had not even acknowledged, and here she was, skipping class and being a moron!  
Speaking of the new student, where was he?

"Sorry, Neji. I got lost, yeah."  
There he was. Just in time to see the pink-haired rebel being the moron she was. He was definitely telling his uncle about this 'friend' of his cousin. He nodded at his new companion, then looked back to Sakura.  
"Class."  
"I'm not meant to be in class!" sighed Sakura, raising an eyebrow at the Hyuuga.  
"Who is this?"  
The arguing pair turned their attention to the boy who had seen their, well, her outburst. A beautiful boy with hair to match Neji's that was blond in colour, with big blue eyes like they reflected the ocean. A boy with out-of-place features, just like her.  
Sakura nearly melted as his scent reached her sensitive nostrils, the scent of earth, of ground, and the sweetness that ran through his veins was simply unimaginable. She just could not register why she found his scent so irresistable. Sure, she had found the natural scent of a couple of boys appealing, but never on this level. She was not even looking at him, and she was captivated.  
"Haruno, you were meant to be in my office an hour ago!"  
Three words. Crazy, old, and nurse. Sakura ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

* * *

She loved the night. It was her home.  
She loved the darkness. It was her home.  
She loved the atmosphere. It was her home.

Tonight, she had spotted her feast, as if picking a turkey for Christmas. Her appetite was so large tonight, that not just anyone would do. She would pick a fine specimen with an athletic physique, a chemical-free body and a healthy scent to his blood. The person she had chosen to bestow the 'honour' of joining her at her feast was a man who looked to be in his twenties, quite tall with dashing red hair and a child-like face; the body of a strong man, and the face of a naïve child. Regardless of his physical features, this man fit her requirements, and she was not about to wait any longer to catch her delicious meal.

_I wonder if..._

He walked through the dark streets without a worry, his pace steady and his head high as he walked past numerous buildings in the deserted street, only seemingly alone.

_I wonder..._

The girl in front of him seemed to appear from nowhere. She was small, almost delicate, like the flower with which she shared the colour of her hair with. Unknown to him, also her name.

_If he had never bitten me..._

When he called out to her, asking of her welfare, he received no answer. Only a smile, a hungry smile, with lust in her eyes. He took a step closer, which she mirrored. Another, and another, until they were only a breath away from eachother.  
"Anything I can do for you?" he asked her, looking into the emerald depths.

_Would I ever do this?_

She licked her lips, her smile turning sinister, almost twisted, as her eyes flashed and she bit down on her bottom lip in anticipation. He could not help but find this erotic... a beautiful girl doing such things in his company?

_Would I taint myself with the blood of others?_

What was she doing now? Was she trying to kiss him? Her eyes were lidded, as she tilted her head up to his lips, brushing her lips gently across his, before pressing light kisses on his cheek, reaching all the way to his ear.

_Would I enjoy watching them sweat?_

He was in heaven! Her lips... they seemed so skillful as he felt her shallow breaths on his skin, her soft petals on his cheek, her soft tone causing harsher breaths to lap the shell of his ear as she whispered a single word.

_Or would I still feel this empty?_

"Sorry."  
"What for?" he whispered, resting a hand on her hip. He was confused. Horny, and confused. Was she sorry for giving him such a big erection? Was she sorry for making him lust so much after a stranger? Was she sorry for-

_Would I be doing this to survive?_

That was what she was sorry for. He screamed, gruff and low, as she plunged her sharp fangs into his soft, smooth neck and drank from his fountain. She felt her protruding canines sink into his delicate flesh, puncture his thin veins, and a warm, delicious liquid fill the cavern of her mouth. She moaned as she felt her thirst being met, trying to ignore the _weeping_ that was coming from this man. He clawed at the arms that held him up in an attempt to become free, begging her to stop, promising her anything.

_Would I want to cry with him too?_

But she drank on regardless, draining the life source that ran through his body in order to retain hers.  
Now, the blood was oozing from the corners of her mouth as she drank greedily, his screams becoming quieter as she sucked at the two small wounds in the junction of his neck and shoulder, occasionally brushing her pink tongue across them, lapping up his blood animalistically.

_Or watch him squirm as I drank from him?_

He was nearly gone now, she realised. He was nearly passing from this world, this dimension, into eternal paradise. His screams were barely squeaks now, his shouts barely whispers, his clawing hands barely stroking at her arms as she drank slower, gently lowering him to the ground as she went.

_What will one do to survive?_

He was nearly completely passed now. She unlatched from his neck, and looked at his eyes, their colour draining from them as his life did from his body. The tears, they were still there, streaking his now pale cheeks as the colour ran from him like the blood still did from the wound on his neck.

_What must one do to survive?_

The light from the yellow streetlamp made her skin look white, the blood on her lips look black, her victim laying motionless on the floor look grey...  
And with those blood-stained lips, she gave him a tender kiss to his. Was it out of pity? Or some kind of sick respect? That, she did not know.  
Did she really love this blood? Did she really love to take another's life? This, she also did not know.

His eyes... his eyes were still open when he exited from the world of the living. Red, she noticed, like his hair. Currently marroon, from lack of life, lack of luster. He looked disgusting, laid there with that shocked expression of his still plastered on his face. She gently pressed his eyelids closed, as if helping him to rest in peace. Eternal peace, the premature peace she had forced upon him.

_This is what I must do to survive.****_


End file.
